Expanding bracelet and like articles of jewelry



"Aug. 2a, 1928. 1,682,607

A. DOWNES EXPANDING BRACELET AND LIKE ARTICLES OF JEWELRY Filed Aug. 25, 1926 Patented Aug. 28, 1928.

1,682,607 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW DowNns, or LONDON, ENeLANn'AssIeNoR T0 CARTIERLIMITED, or

LoNDoN, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY.

EXPANDING BRACELET AND LIKE ARTICLES or JEWELRY.

Application filed August 23, 1926, Serial No. 131,066, and in Great Britain September s, .1925.

This invention relates to expanding braceletsand like articles of jewelry (such as, for example, watch-wristlets) of the kind comprising a number of elementsarranged In two series, the members of one series alternating or breaking joint with and engaging those of the other series.

One object of this invention is to prevent overstraining ofthe elastic members joining the members of the series.

A further object of'thisinvention is to prevent the appearance ofunsightly gaps in the bracelet as a whole.

For the sake of distinction, the elements of the two series will hereinafter be referred to as principal elements and auxiliary elements respectively.

According to the present invention each principal element comprises a front plate which carries at its rear side, but spaced a art therefrom, a parallel pair of tubular soc ets adapted to give passage to the continuous elastic connecting-members upon WhlCl'l the principal elements are directly threaded, said tubular sockets being situated towards the opposite edges of the bracelets and being each attached to the front plate by a pair of studs situated at or near the opposite ends of said plate; whilst each auxiliary element is sl1dable in the space between the rear of the front plates and the tubular sockets of two ad acentprincipal elements, and is slotted to give pa ssage to the studs at the adjacent ends of said principal elements, the length of the slots determining the distance to which the principal elements can be drawn apart.

Either the front plates of the principal elements alone may be normally visible at the outer side of the bracelet said front plates being normally in contact with one another around the circuit of the bracelet so as to conceal the auxiliary elements, or each auxiliary element may have a portion projecting outwards so as to be interposed, and constantly presented to view, between the front plates of adjacent principal elements.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an outside face view of a portion of an expanding bracelet embodying one form of the invention, and Figure 2 is an edge view of the same, partly in section, the bracelet being shewn as contracted. Figures 3 and 4 are views corresponding respectively to Figures 1 and 2, the bracelet being shown as expanded. Figure 5 is a cross section on the plane of division between two normally contiguous elements of the principal series. Figured is a part inside and part outside face View of a portion of the bracelet, showing a slight modification. Figures 7 and 8 are plans of a modified form of this invention in the nonexpanded and expanded position respectively.

a are the front plates of elements of the principal series, each being shown in the example as constituted by a rectangular plate aperturedto serve as a support for a jewel or other decorative feature. Projecting from the back of each plate a are four studs 6, two of which are placed close to each end of the plate a and towards each edge of the bracelet; and that pair of studs 6 which is towards either edge of the bracelet carries a tubular socket 0 extending circumferentially of the bracelet when in wear. Adjacent studs 6 of the plates at of normally contiguous elements of the principal series are engaged by a slotted link (Z which serves to limit the mutual separation of the links (Z at opposite edges of the bracelet being united by a transverse member e so as to constitute therewith one of the elements of the auxiliary series. Through the several sockets 0 at each edge of the bracelet, extends a continuous coiled spring 7 which, when the bracelet is expanded, is prevented from becoming overstrained by the limitation of the mutual sepa ration between the several elements due to the studs 1) encountering the ends of the slots in the links (I.

It will be evident that each transverse member 6 might have an outwardly-projecting portion 9 Figure 6) intervening between adjacent plates (1 so as to be constantly presented to view at the outer side of the bracelet, the portions 9 alternating with the plates 0.

An expanding bracelet or like article of jewelry made in accordance with the present invention is obviously susceptible of wide variations in design and in details of construction. For example, instead of the slotted links, I may employ the construction shown in Figures 7 and 8 comprising headed links it connecting the studs together so as to prevent undue expansion of the bracelet.

I claim 1. An expanding article of jewelry consisting of a plurality of elements each comprising a front plate, a pair of parallel tubuplates a, the corresponding lar members, and a plurality of studs each having one end connected to one face of the front plate and its other end connected to one of said tubular members, a pair of continuous elastic members each passing through the aligned tubular members of said front plates, and links each engaging and slidable relatively to the adjacent pairs of studs of adja cent front plates between said front plates and said tubular members.

2. An expanding article of jewelry consisting of a plurality of elements each comprising a t'ront plate, a pair of parallel tubular members spaced apart and extending longitudinally of the front plate and studs each having onecnd connected to the face plate adjacent one end of the latter and its other end connected to one of said tubular members, springs passing through said tubular members, pairs of slotted links, each pair extending between a pairfof adjacent elements with a link of each pair engaging and slidable relatively to adjacent longitudinally aligned studs of adjacent elements and means rigidly connecting the links of each pair.

3. An expanding article of jewelry consisting of a plurality of elements each comprising a front plate, a pair of parallel tubular members spaced apart and extending longitudinally of the front plate and studs each having one end connected to the face plate adjacent one end of the latter and its other end connected to one of said tubular members, springs passing through saidtubular members, pairs of slotted links, each pair extending between adj accnt elements and each engaging and slidable relatively to the contiguous studs of adjacent elements, and means connecting each pair of links interposed and constantly presented to View between the front plates of adjacent elements.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ANDREW DOWNES. 

